A major event for superhero fans and television viewers occurred last week, when the protagonists from “The Flash” and “Arrow” joined forces for the second time. A lot of things have changed for both shows in their new seasons, and it’s absolutely fantastic to see all of our favorite characters come together again.

The best thing about these crossover events is the interplay between Barry Allen, who turns into The Flash, and Oliver Queen, better known as Green Arrow, both in and out of uniform. The two heroes have been going through a great deal of hardships recently, and the tension between them is emphasized. Of course, they aren’t about to fight each other (again), but it’s cool to see their significantly different ideologies conflict.

The fight scenes are top notch in these episodes. The showdown between Flash/Green Arrow and Hawkman was a treat to watch. It highlighted their ability to work as a team, and of course showed off Barry’s cool lighting abilities. The final battle between our heroes and Vandal Savage, the antagonist of the crossover, was equally compelling. While not as interesting as either main villain in the individual shows, Savage provided a neat way to watch all of the good guys work together.

A lot of new characters were introduced in this episode, Hawkgirl and Hawkman being the most notable. The writers dive straight into the insane mythos surrounding the two, and it’s fun to see the creators embracing all the insanity of the DC universe. Savage and his immortality are also fully realized. The shows’ willingness to go big are often what makes them great, and this holds true here.

Cisco, team Flash’s tech wiz, is central to the crossover. He has a lot of good comedic moments, and viewers also feel for him during his plight with Kendra Saunders, his love interest. Much of the show is about her becoming Hawkgirl and embracing her destiny, which unfortunately doesn’t include Cisco. As the most relatable person in the show, it was sad to see him get dealt a tough hand.

Green Arrow’s arc also gets some major developments, which could end up having a huge impact later down the road. The discovery that he fathered a son hits Ollie hard, and leaves him in an emotional state that viewers rarely get to see. Secrets have always come back to bite him, but he never seems to learn. Instead of coming out and telling Felicity, his significant love interest, he decides to keep it to himself. This creates massive potential for drama later on.

The conclusion of the episode was absolutely insane, with things going horribly awry for the heroes. Everyone gets vaporized, and Barry has to time travel back to give everyone a second chance. Most fans probably lost it watching these events unfold, which just goes to show how invested people are in these characters.

Despite a few missteps here and there, this year’s “Flash” and “Arrow” crossover event was a huge success. It provided a lot of great character moments as well as action, and it was a good launch pad for “Legends of Tomorrow,” the latest superhero show to hit the CW. Watching teams Flash and Arrow mingle and butt heads is always a good time, and I’m looking forward to seeing even more of it in the future.